1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for protecting and guiding a cable, such as a power supply cable, from a direct-vision window of an aircraft flight deck.
2. Description of the Related Art
The flight deck comprises a windshield that incorporates a direct-vision window on at least one side. This direct-vision window comprises a glassed-in frame that moves relative to a support that delimits an opening that is made in the windshield. To open the direct-vision window, it is necessary to carry out a first translation toward the inside of the cabin to move said direct-vision window forward from the support, and then a second translation to make the direct-vision window slide in a manner that is essentially parallel to the windshield to release the opening. For this purpose, in the lower part, the opening comprises a table that defines a slip plane on which the direct-vision window can slide during two translations. This slip plane is generally inclined on the order of 20 to 40° C., in particular based on the shapes of the flight deck.
In general, the direct-vision window is connected to the support by means of at least one cable that is provided for the power supply of the defrosting system and a reading light.
To allow the movements of the direct-vision window, the cable comprises a “pigtail”-shaped portion.
This simple solution is not satisfactory because the “pigtail”-shaped cable has a tendency to be extended after only a few cycles. This extended cable creates a problem for the flight crew that can hinder them, and can even create a danger to the extent that the flight instruments may become tangled up therein. Furthermore, the non-mechanical hold of the cable in the form of a “pigtail” can cause risks of clamping at each end of the cable and this clamping is likely to produce the rupture of the internal electric cables. This is reflected by malfunctions of the equipment fed by said cable, in particular the defrosting system.